New York, NY, 2017-Oct-12 — /EPR MANAGEMENT NEWS/ — Top Performing Investment Manager, Chetan Kapur of ThinkStrategy Capital, Went Way Above and Beyond for Investors which Enjoyed Leading Returns for a Decade. Chetan Kapur Gets Unjustly, Unjustifiably and Repeatedly Attacked by Corrupt Element at the SEC. Top Performing Investment Manager, Chetan Kapur of ThinkStrategy Capital, Went Way Above and Beyond for Investors which Enjoyed Leading Returns for a Decade. Chetan Kapur Gets Unjustly, Unjustifiably and Repeatedly Attacked by Corrupt Element at the SEC.

Extremely Honest, Selfless & Diligent Chetan Kapur Sacrificed All His and ThinkStrategy’s Resources for the Benefit of Investors During the Great Recession and Thereafter. Chetan Kapur Even Gave Up His Investment and Creditor Claim in the ThinkStrategy Funds for the Benefit of Investors.

Corrupt, Deceitful Contingent at SEC Engaged in a Campaign of Harassment, Defamation and False Imprisonment Against Chetan Kapur. The SEC Attack Began One Year After ThinkStrategy Closed Operations, With the Worst Banking Crisis in US History, Having Depleted All Resources for Investors Benefit. SEC Attempted to Extort Third Parties Including Chetan Kapur’s Family Out of Assets That Legally Belonged to Them But Failure Was Inevitable.

All SEC Claims Against Chetan Kapur were Clearly Defamatory, Slanderous, Fictional and Egregiously False. SEC’s Fabricated and Fake Claims were Based on Stale, Partial, Out of Context, Contorted or Erroneous Information.

Numerous Independent Third Parties Provide Testimony and Testimonials Which Highlight Chetan Kapur’s Excellent Reputation, Impeccable Character and Outstanding Contribution to the Community.

ThinkStrategy Capital Management managed and advised two leading hedge funds – ThinkStrategy Capital Fund, an equity market-neutral fund and TS Multi-Strategy Fund, a leveraged multi-strategy fund of hedge funds and had a comprehensive managed account program. The funds and managed accounts provided investors excellent annual returns with low relative volatility for the majority of a decade. All investors received the reported returns that were based on the net asset values generated from the funds trading or allocations. With the financial and banking crisis, the leveraged TS Multi-Strategy Fund, a top performer, was put into liquidation by its lender and custodian, KBC Financial, in 2008 (which put all their leveraged clients into liquidation). ThinkStrategy Capital eventually put the TS Multi-Strategy Fund into the hands of PriceWaterhouse Coopers. The TS Multi-Strategy Fund conducted due diligence on or evaluated approximately 8000 investment opportunities and had over 150 different investments.

ThinkStrategy Capital had quality independent service providers that audited and administered the Company’s funds and returns. The Funds’ custody, leverage, brokerage, liquidation, legal, tax and other service providers were also quality independent firms. The service providers included PriceWaterhouse Coopers, KBC Financial, O’Connor Davies Munns and Dobbins, Eisner, Folio Administrators and Kirkpatrick & Lockhart.

ThinkStrategy Capital always had a Director of Business Development that fully managed and spearheaded the firm’s capital raising, sales and investor relations effort. The Director of Business Development created all offering materials and was responsible for all investor needs as it related to the Funds’ performance, assets under management, longevity, strategy, due diligence and management team. In addition, other senior members spearheaded portfolio management, research and due diligence, trading and other functional areas of the firm (such as operations and archiving). ThinkStrategy Capital was a sophisticated growing firm managed in a similar fashion to many growing hedge funds of its size.

Any inadvertent omission or inaccuracy made by ThinkStrategy’s Director of Business Development or his investor relations team in the normal course of business in one-off documents was not only corrected immediately when identified and re-issued but also accurately noted in many other offering and marketing materials including the fund’s foundational offering documents (i.e. the Offering Memorandum, Limited Partnership Agreement and Investment Management Agreement). The Funds’ sophisticated, qualified, experienced, accredited investors carefully reviewed all documents and spoke to and met the ThinkStrategy team and their independent service providers – all of which accurately answered all questions prior to investment. Not one ThinkStrategy investor was ever misled in any way, shape or form as to the investment products and the risks associated with them. Not one investor ever redeemed as a result of an inadvertent inaccuracy being corrected by the Director of Business Development or his investor relations team.

ThinkStrategy Capital Management conducted comprehensive research and due diligence in all its investment products. ThinkStrategy Capital’s fund of hedge fund product, TS Multi-Strategy Fund, had an extensive, multi-faceted program of diligence that included operational, strategy, risk, stress and scenario due diligence processes (that were applied to all sub-funds being evaluated). Each due diligence process had several qualitative and quantitative aspects and checks not noted to investors but to their benefit. Other leading fund of funds also had similar processes that were above or at industry standard for the time. The TS Multi-Strategy Fund investments oftentimes were recommended by highly regarded institutional advisors or consultants, or came from respected investment databases. All TS Multi-Strategy Fund sub-fund managers always had strong knowledge and experience with their strategy, very solid business and investing experience, and used quality service providers. Many sub-funds were eliminated from consideration as a result of the stringent and multi-faceted due diligence performed by ThinkStrategy Capital. TS Multi-Strategy Fund continually improved its above or at industry standard due diligence processes eventually adopting a ‘No Stone Should Be Left Unturned’ policy even if there were no red flags. Furthermore, the TS Multi-Strategy Fund could not invest in any sub-fund unless it passed KBC Financial’s (TS Multi-Strategy Fund’s lender and custodian) independent due diligence processes and standards.

The TS Multi-Strategy Fund, a leading performer, was one of KBC Financial’s last clients to be put into liquidation as it was a top performer and well diversified. The leveraged fund of hedge funds had no choice in having to submit full control over to KBC Financial’s liquidation process, the worst banking crisis in US history and the worst economic and financial crisis since 1929. Nonetheless, the fund outperformed a vast majority of its peers locked in a similar position in spite of coming to discover and fully writing off a couple of issue or fraudulent sub-investments. Further, had the SEC done their jobs properly, being the only ones with access to third-party fund bank and brokerage statements, the TS Multi-Strategy Fund of Funds and thousands of other sophisticated investors would not have been a victim of any fraud losses. The TS Multi-Strategy Fund and the ThinkStrategy Capital Fund enjoyed investment success and outperformance significantly higher than its peers in all periods.

Chetan Kapur and ThinkStrategy Capital worked very diligently for investors of the leveraged funds even while receiving no compensation or fees for approximately 3 years as KBC Financial (lender and custodian that put all their clients into liquidation with the US banking crisis) halted all required fees payable to their investment managers during the liquidation period. ThinkStrategy Capital and its founder, Chetan Kapur, thereafter went out-of-pocket during these 3 years to pay for the entire infrastructure and operating expenses of these funds until their resources were fully depleted leaving Chetan Kapur with very significant debts. Most other investment managers would have forced their funds into court receivership or the hands of a liquidator immediately whereby all these expenses and costs would be charged to the fund – thereby hurting investor returns (and would not have worked 16+ hour days in selfless sacrifice as Chetan Kapur did). Chetan Kapur did not abandon investors, which he was legally entitled to do as he was working gratis. Investors benefitted at the very substantial cost and expense of Chetan Kapur.

ThinkStrategy Capital and Chetan Kapur during this liquidation period devoted a lot of hard work and effort in providing detailed reports to investors, in making prudent decisions on sub-funds that were restructuring or liquidating, in procuring the sub-funds to payout as soon as feasible (including participating in investor committees and appointing advisors to oversee payouts), in obtaining risk, liquidity, outlook and other updates from the sub-funds, as well as maintained coordination with all service providers to the fund (the independent auditors, the independent administrators, the independent accountants and tax preparers, and independent legal) while the Company and Kapur received no compensation for their diligence. Further, the fund’s investors were provided substantial fee discounts in the normal course of business prior to the economic and banking crisis too – once again benefitting investors at the cost of ThinkStrategy Capital and Chetan Kapur.

ThinkStrategy Capital eventually put the Multi-Strategy Fund of Hedge Funds into the hands of PriceWaterhouse Coopers after 3 long years of managing all aspects and costs of the funds without pay, having done all it could for investors, depleting resources fully and leaving founder, Chetan Kapur, in a very substantial debt position. Further, ThinkStrategy Capital and Chetan Kapur suffered the exact same percentage loss during the economic, banking and private lending crisis being an investor in the fund that was put into liquidation. ThinkStrategy Capital and Chetan Kapur wrote off their fund investment and a very considerable creditor claim towards the fund for the major benefit of investors.

Alpharetta, Georgia, US, 2017-Jun-13 — /EPR MANAGEMENT NEWS/ — The Heartfulness Institute will mark the International Day of Yoga on 21 June with public events in various locations globally (www.heartfulness.org). The events will be held at the Institute’s meditation and retreat centres and also at other community venues in partnership with civil society and yoga organizations and Indian diplomatic missions.

Every year on 21 June the United Nations invites the global community to celebrate the life-enhancing practices of Yoga. In establishing the International Day of Yoga, the United Nations underscored the need for building better lifestyles, recognizing that Yoga provides a holistic approach to health and well-being. The UN also called for the wider dissemination of information about the benefits of practising Yoga.

On the International Day of Yoga, the Heartfulness community, led by its youth, will bring together hundreds of thousands of people with the theme ‘Connect. Integrate. Become One’, in Chennai, Singapore, Hyderabad, Paris, New York, London, Toronto, Sydney and in other major metropolitan centres, as well as in many smaller cities, towns and rural areas globally. The core practices of Heartfulness are self-development tools for a modern lifestyle and for people from all walks of life. They include relaxation, heart-based meditation, cleaning and inner connection. There is no dogma or prerequisite of any kind, and no financial requirement; only the willingness and interest to try the simple, effective Heartfulness practices.

Since the beginning of 2017, the Heartfulness Institute has been offering free masterclasses in meditation, led by its global guide, Kamlesh Patel, also known as Daaji. More than one million people around the world, including educational, business and professional groups, have experienced the free masterclasses that are available at http://en.heartfulness.org/masterclass/.

Heartfulness is an approach to the Raja Yoga system of meditation called Sahaj Marg, founded at the turn of the 20th century and formalized into an organization in 1945. More than seventy years later, ongoing Heartfulness meditation training can be found at 2,500 schools and colleges, and over 100,000 professionals are meditating in over 3,000 corporations, non-governmental and government organizations.

Heartfulness Centres, known as HeartSpots, exist in 130 countries, supported by thousands of certified volunteer trainers. There are over 5,000 HeartSpots and over 300 retreat centres around the world where thousands of people gather to meditate (http://www.heartfulness.org/).

About Kamlesh D. Patel
Known to many as Daaji, Kamlesh D. Patel is the fourth guide in the Heartfulness tradition of meditation. He is a prolific speaker and writer, and you can read his latest writings at http://www.daaji.org/.

About Heartfulness Institute
Heartfulness Institute is a non-profit organization that promotes well-being and self-development through meditation, research and training. The Institute offers programs for individuals, local communities, corporates, government departments and the armed services, schools and colleges, rural communities and civil society groups worldwide, supported by certified trainers who are volunteers and who offer their time and expertise in this social cause.

International speaker and vocal advocate of Benevolent Capitalism, Mr. Douglas is concerned that many individuals and businesses are stuck in an outdated idea of capitalism, and are failing to adapt their practices to better meet the new consumer mindset:

• 96% of consumers believe it is important for companies to have good social and environmental policies. (Digital Reason)
• 33% of all consumers actively seek out and purchase goods because of responsible corporate practices. (Unilever)
• According to the Unilever CCO, “This research confirms that sustainability isn’t a nice-to-have for businesses. In fact, it has become an imperative.”

Mr. Douglas is teaming up with some of the world’s leading Benevolent Capitalism experts to bring the concept to business leaders and other individuals around the world, through a series of public and live-streamed seminars.

“Capitalism has been relegated to ‘where’s my share of the pie?’ and ‘how I can get what I need when I need it’. This is a very destructive way of manipulating capitalism”, Douglas explains. “Consumers have noticed, and are becoming more particular in their spending choices, as a result.”

“I hear a lot of people say ‘Can capitalism really be benevolent?’ but this is because of the limited points of view business has been operating from recently”, Douglas says. “When capitalism was first created back in the 1700’s, it was supposed to serve the masses; to create more for all of us. In fact, capitalism is really about how to create more money and more possibility in our life.”

“When we return to that viewpoint of more possibility and choice, it becomes a different narrative”, he adds. “Now is the time for all of us to recognize the power of capitalism and how it can be a catalyst for positive change and different possibilities.”

San Diego, CA, 2017-Apr-18 — /EPR MANAGEMENT NEWS/ — Every company has a crisis from time to time. If the company is small or medium in size, one crisis can take it off the map. Here are some directives that will get you through your next one; share it with your senior staff and don’t read it ‘after’ the event occurred, this should be in memory lest you compete with United for news space.

1. TRY TO RESOLVE IT WITH SOMETHING THAT COMES EASILY TO YOU, THAT YOUR CUSTOMER VALUES. Whatever business you are in, you get your goods or services wholesale (free flights, even on a standby basis). Try to resolve the problem by offering something that has a high perceived value but is not so dear to you that it creates a large loss. The customer is ‘not’ always right, but the customer can write something about you on Yelp and, as it hurts you more to respond, they will ‘seem’ right to the public, who will only read one side of it all.

2. AVOID CALLING THE POLICE (of any kind) FOR A NON-CRIMINAL INCIDENT. Once you try to make the police force your own, and they step in with people who are trained to control others, you will have alienated your client past the point of no return. Worse yet, if the person flails and touches a police officer, he or she now gets a criminal record thanks to you and believe me, you will pay dearly for that. As stupid goes, this is the most stupid move a company can use against a client when the company is not at threat. A disagreement is never resolved when one party is fully armed and the other is afraid of arrest.

3. SHOW THEM WHO THE MANAGEMENT REALLY IS, AND DEMONSTRATE COMPASSION FOR THE SITUATION. If your story makes it to social media, the first response from the CEO should be an instant public apology. The public needs to think of him or her as a nice, warm, empathetic individual who just had the bad luck of hiring someone who had no common sense. Mistakes happen. The public forgives you. If, on the other hand the CEO makes a bad impression or supports his or her staff, regardless of their poor choices, then people will fear the company and avoid it all costs. Do you understand?

4. DO NOT ANGER A CUSTOMER AND THEN ACCUSE HIM OR HER WITH BEING BELIGIRENT. This is a common tactic used by the police to arrest persons. Lawyers use it at trial all the time. You say something inflammatory, the person reacts, and you try to show the jury how unreasonable they are. This is dangerous behavior. Unless you have the powers of arrest, you shouldn’t do something to further anger your customer. If you have an angry customer, you should do everything you can to get them to a reasonable and calm state. The easiest way to do so: Offer something up front, then dine or have drinks with him or her in a casual manner and work out the rest. Using this system you may create the most loyal customer (who refers you business) when you are finished. People understand errors occur: it’s how you handle them.

5. IF YOU CAN’T SAY ANYTHING EMPATHETIC KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. A client/customer may upset you. They are in a heated state due to what happened. Don’t get offended. Many of them don’t even mean what they say in the heat of the moment. If you can avoid internalizing the person’s comments, try to mentally experience the situation from their point of view. The easiest way to do it is not to think of them, but to think of one of your parents, your spouse, or your best friend having gone through this and how you would respond. Now do this with your client.

6. BE CAREFUL WITH YOUR WORDS AND POSITIONING OF YOUR FIRM.
It’s easy to say and do what you want when you have a golden parachute. However, a corporation’s reputation is largely based on the philosophies of the CEO when it comes to customer service. Remember the corporation took care of you and your family when you were looking for a career or opportunity. Now, it needs ‘you’. Do everything with all the integrity the company deserves, even if you have to bite your lip in doing so.

7. MAKE CONTACT WITH THE AGGRIEVED PARTY ASAP. Call the person, arrange a personal contact and work things out. Do not let it get to the media or to a lawyer’s office. Let the person hear from you and know that you care. The difference it will make is phenomenal. It does not matter that you are on vacation when it takes place or even sleeping. You are better off losing a night’s sleep than months of sleep in the future while your and you company’s reputation are in the balance. Don’t just contact the party, make this up to them. For example, in the United Airlines’ case, I would have put Dr Dao on a private jet asap, with a limousine waiting at the other end. The scenario would have turned out very differently.

8. WORK IT OUT BEFORE IT BECOMES A LAWSUIT.
If a situation is so out of control that a lawyer has been hired or litigation is threatened, resolve it immediately through opposing counsel. Negotiate and work out a settlement or understanding of some sort. Keep the settlement confidential if you have to, or be generous and go public with it; especially if you are in the wrong. The worst thing that can happen in this case is what happened with United Airlines: the lawyer was enjoying free national airtime to say what he wanted.

If a lawyer has been hired, you did not follow the rules above very well. Once the legal game is in play, in will only serve to infuriate the customer more and the legal game is all about sides. At this point, hope the party has a reasonable lawyer as you can no longer directly communicate with the person. Litigation is one of the worst diseases a company can catch, avoid it at all costs.

We hope your next crisis is averted rapidly and wish you the best!

________________________________

Steven Riznyk is the CEO and senior litigator of San Diego Biz Law, a crisis-negotiator, and business strategist who is hired to analyze and resolve complex and crisis issues worldwide. He can be reached at 619-793-4827.

Waldorf is a privately owned company which commenced operations in Sydney in 1982. Since then, the business has grown to more than 1,500 apartments and operates in Sydney, Central Coast, Canberra, Leura, Geraldton, Perth and Auckland.

Waldorf is currently one of the largest Serviced Apartment operators in Australasia.
DLM manages approximately 500,000 rental housing properties across Japan.

The Serviced Apartment business has undergone significant transformation in Australasia in recent years with almost all leading operators entering into ‘Joint Ventures’ with international operators.

DLM and CI are subsidiary companies of Daiwa House Industry Co. Ltd, the largest publically listed Construction and Development Company in Japan.

“The sale to DLM Group will bring forward our plans to further improve services and allow the business to expand significantly in the coming years.” said the Waldorf Group founding Director and CEO, Avi Rubinstein. He added that “We expect to grow our business to more than 5,000 apartments in time and this will greatly enhance our brand awareness and increase our competitiveness.”

“Serviced Apartments are an attractive alternative to Hotels as they offer spacious, high quality self -contained accommodation at reasonable prices and they are becoming increasingly attractive to domestic and international tourists as well as to the corporate traveller.” Mr Rubinstein said.

DLM has been seeking an opportunity to enter the Australasian market and is excited about the Waldorf acquisition. Waldorf is a well-established and successful business which is ‘scalable’ and presents DLM with an ideal platform to grow across many sub markets in both Australia and New Zealand.

The existing owners of Waldorf will continue their involvement in the business as Directors and their main focus will be to acquiring new properties for the newly enhanced group.

ENDS

For further clarification, please contact Avi Rubinstein at webmaster@waldorf.com.au

In The Digital Banking Revolution, Wewege provides a look at how over the past decade financial service innovations have contributed to a completely new way in which customers are able to bank, threatening the status quo of traditional retail banks, and redefining a banking model which has been in place for generations.

Luigi’s book presents the ways these new technological advancements have facilitated the rapid emergence of digital banking firms and FinTech companies, leading to established banks being forced to swiftly increase their pace of digital adoption to stay relevant, and stop mass client attrition to these agile financial start-ups.

“These threats come at an inopportune time for banks due to mature markets currently experiencing stagnant growth. This coupled with decreasing profit margins due to the competitive pricing of new entrants, and financial customer loyalty becoming ever increasingly more tenuous,” said Wewege.

Supported by numerous illustrations, the book spans a diverse range of topics from big data analytics and mobile payments to the evolving behaviors of financial consumers. The Digital Banking Revolution concludes with Luigi providing his predictions in the book’s final chapter, which is titled The Future of Banking. In this chapter, he outlines how he believes financial services are likely to evolve, and be conducted going forward.

The book is currently available for purchase online at Amazon.com in Kindle and paperback versions, as well as being offered via a number of other major online booksellers. To learn more about the author – Luigi Wewege and his new book, The Digital Banking Revolution, please visit: www.digitalbankingrevolution.com.

ABOUT LUIGI WEWEGELuigi is the President and CEO of Vivier Group, a multinational financial group of companies, providing its services worldwide through representation in jurisdictions across Africa, Asia, Oceania, Europe and South America. Outside of Vivier he serves as the Non-executive Chairman of Nikau Global an international trade and development firm, as Partner/Director of Palmetto Global Ventures a bespoke financial management consultancy firm, and is an invited member of Boston, Massachusetts based non-profit the Young Entrepreneur Council. For more information, about Luigi please visit: http://www.luigiwewege.com or alternatively reach him via Twitter @luigiwewege.

Expands division to tie tools to ROI for customers

Charlotte, N.C., 2016-Nov-15 — /EPR Network/ — Dan Grace has joined SkillStorm, an international technology services company, as Executive Vice President of the Operational Services Division (OSD). He is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the OSD including service management, monitoring and availability. His experience includes integrating processes and emerging technologies, operational oversight, project execution and tool integration across platforms including ServiceNow, Remedy, Maximo and Service Manager.

In joining SkillStorm, Grace expands the Solutions division to incorporate a services and operations management practice. In this role, he is responsible for strategy, implementation and quality delivery of SkillStorm’s operational services across all customers. SkillStorm’s OSD offers a lean, solutions-oriented model powered by SkillStorm’s Cloud Workforce Solutions (CWS) platform. CWS is a proven alternative solution to OffShore and NearShore sourcing which provides highly skilled technology and operations based resources across the globe.

“Our core clients in the banking and financial services sectors are working to achieve organic growth while dealing with ever-increasing challenges, from regulation and compliance to information security concerns,” says Paul Moura, SkillStorm’s President. “Operational efficiency, driven by effectively implementing today’s service management tools, provides a path that allows clients to deal with those challenges and achieve overall organizational goals while maintaining high service level expectations. Dan’s experience puts SkillStorm in the unique position to provide expert guidance to our
clients in these areas.”

“Service management tools and processes are the foundation for managing the quality of IT and business services. Their impact drives the overall success of any company, enterprise wide,” says Grace. “I’m honored and excited to join SkillStorm as part of the executive leadership team. My goal is to contribute to the continued success of the SkillStorm brand, achieving our company’s vision and exceeding customer expectations.”

Grace has served more than 23 years in managed and operational services executive
leadership roles for companies including Allstate Insurance, eBay’s PayPal division and Bank of America. He holds multiple patents and patent applications in automation, monitoring, integration, knowledge management and more. Grace holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of South Florida and will be based in SkillStorm’s Tempe, Arizona, office.

About SkillStorm
SkillStorm rapidly builds and deploys IT & Operations teams with critical skills in client facilities or in one of our U.S.-based delivery centers. Founded in 2002, SkillStorm specializes in providing services on the leading edge of technology. SkillStorm teams are tasked with executing high-impact projects such as developing applications in agile environments, building mobile apps, harnessing “Big Data’s” potential and strengthening information security efforts for Fortune 1000 and fast-growing tech companies.

Dallas, TX, July 07, 2015 — /EPR MANAGEMENT NEWS/ — Redpoint Insurance Group, LLC today announced that Mr. Michael G. Toole has agreed to join the board of directors of Redpoint County Mutual Insurance Company upon the closing of its acquisition of control of the company expected in the next few weeks.

Mr. Toole will bring over 25 years of experience to Redpoint County Mutual’s Board of Directors. He currently serves as the President of Worth Casualty Company, a Ft. Worth based property and casualty insurance company. He also serves as the Executive Vice President of Agricultural Workers Mutual Auto Insurance Company. Prior to these positions, Mr. Toole was the Chief Underwriting Officer of a multi-state property and casualty insurance company.

“Redpoint is excited to have a person of Mike Toole’s caliber to join our board of directors. Mike has been involved in the Texas automobile market for many years and we welcome the opportunity to gain his expertise.” – Christopher A. McClellan, CEO

Redpoint Insurance Group is an insurance holding company headquartered in Dallas, TX with administrative offices in Austin, TX. Redpoint’s principal affiliates now include Redpoint County Mutual Insurance Company and Redpoint Workers’ Compensation.

Dallas, TX and Austin, TX, June 26, 2015 — /EPR MANAGEMENT NEWS/ — Redpoint Insurance Group, LLC today announced the purchase of the workers compensation business (located in Austin, Texas) of American Hallmark Insurance Company of Texas. The acquisition is expected to close effective July 1, 2015. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The Hallmark workers compensation business will begin operating under the name Redpoint Workers’ Compensation.

The origins of the workers compensation business date back to 1987 and the organization of Texas Builders Insurance Company. Sold to American Hallmark in 2011, Texas Builders operations became the nexus of the workers’ compensation business. The operations specialize in workers’ compensation coverage for a wide range of employers, from artisan contractors to main street businesses throughout Texas. The existing Hallmark workers’ compensation employees are moving to Redpoint. Benjamin A. Siddons will continue to serve as President. Christopher A. McClellan, the CEO of Redpoint Insurance Group will serve as CEO of Redpoint Workers’ Compensation.

“We are excited to bring the employees of the Hallmark workers’ compensation into Redpoint. At Redpoint, we are committed to continuing the excellent service that has been provided to Hallmark and before that, Texas Builders policyholders and their employees for over a quarter of a century. Although the name on the door is changing, the heart of the organization — its people — will not. So when you call us in the future, the same person that you spoke to before will answer.” -Christopher A. McClellan, CEO

San Antonio, Texas, January 13, 2015 — /EPR MANAGEMENT NEWS/ — Byrd Imperial Group is seeking 1 to 4 Executive Advisors to join our team by helping to raise funds to build and operate a new franchise headquarters in Texas. In exchange for successfully seeking out and securing a 10% Preferred Equity Investor who subscribes to a minimum investment of $3.5M, Byrd Imperial Group will issue 150,000 shares of common stock at no cost. An Executive Advisor could earn up to 4 times that amount or 600,000 shares by securing a single qualified Investor.

In addition to this offer, Byrd Imperial Group is offering 4,000,000 Preferred Equity Shares at a price of $3.50 per share with a minimum purchase of 1,000,000 shares.

Byrd Imperial Group LLC. (www.byrdimperialgroup.com) is a franchise development and management company with a total of 9 new business models. Our business plan combines 6 new franchise opportunities along with our internal finance company all-operating at 1 flagship location. From the company headquarters in Texas, we will be able to efficiently manage, grow, and operate each new business opportunity. After smoothing out the operating procedures, the home office location will serve as a springboard to advance each new business as single point locations through nationwide franchising.

After years of trimming jobs in the wake of the Great Recession, contractors and subcontractors say the pendulum has swung the other way, and now they are looking to hire skilled workers who are no longer available in the job market.

“I said this two years ago, if we have a full-speed recovery in the construction industry, we will not have the available workers to fill the jobs,” said Henry Goudreau, CEO & Founder of HG & Associates, Inc., and http://www.contractorcoaching.com. “The only way to correct this is by a grassroots effort by contractors in offering training, or convincing high school candidates to take construction training courses. It is in our best interest to start working on this now rather than later.”

To make up the shortfall, builders are training workers themselves, recruiting from outside the area and working with local technical schools on a slate of new training programs expected to begin in the fall.

Goudreau offers a report for contractors on how to increase sales and drive more money to their bottom-line. It is free for contractors by going to http://tinyurl.com/me78v37.
Henry Goudreau is known as the most sought-after business-building coach, speaker, and author for contractors. He is famous for turning around the problem plagued construction business, building profits, freeing up the owner’s time, and streamlining processes that build success, brand, and loyalty.

He offers business-building advice to contractors at his web site, and works with owners mastering and implementing his proven business model. This virtual road map for contractors helps them to build powerful niches and a true understanding of what it takes to be profitable.

Anyone who watches the job market closely knows that the construction sector has been weak in this recovery, and is just starting to show an increase in numbers of employment. Unfortunately, there is another problem rearing its ugly head.

“Contractors have suffered deeply and carried the brunt of this recession of the last six years. In February, employment in construction changed little, just adding less than 15,000 jobs,” said business-building coach to contractors, Henry Goudreau. “However, this is merely the tip of the iceberg. There are two immense hurdles to overcome for contractors, other than finding and employing skilled craftsman,” says Goudreau. “The second killer is financing,” he warns.

While the Federal Reserve and U.S. Treasury rescued major banks amid the 2008 financial crisis to avert major financial chaos, the bailout didn’t help the small lenders. “Their disappearance, along with the lack of lending by the major banks, has left the contractor hanging out to dry.” explained Goudreau.

“There a two huge voids that contractors must find a way to fill,” said Goudreau. “Filling a demand for skilled craftsmen, and finding start-up funding. Both are going to hit the contractor on the side of the head, especially, if the economy picks up speed and momentum, and together, they will stifle any chance for the industry to get back on the right track out of this recession. With that said, contractors have to get their financial house in order so they can fund their work, and find skilled craftsmen. I can help them get a better handle on their business and build their financial ability, but I believe the labor level will have to be addressed at the local school or vocational tech level since so many have left the industry for greener pastures or retirement.”

Henry Goudreau is known as the most sought-after business-building coach, speaker, and author for contractors. He is famous for turning around problem plagued construction businesses, building profits, freeing up the owner’s time, and streamlining processes that build success, brand, and loyalty.

He offers tons of advice to contractors at his web site, and works with owners mastering and implementing his proven business model. This virtual road map for contractors helps them to build powerful niches and a true understanding of what it takes to be profitable.

It’s been called a “global epidemic” by the United Nations’ International Labor Organization.

And it’s a source of miscommunication, employee conflicts, absenteeism, complacency, turnover, low morale, declining productivity and other workplace problems every day at organizations worldwide.

Employee stress is a growing threat to employers, and it’s a threat that is squarely in the sights of About Me International, a provider of workforce evaluation, employee engagement and leadership services.

Joe Kiedinger, president and CEO of About Me International, is leading the Green Bay-based company in its drive to guide organizations in overcoming the negative effects of employee stress.

To assist clients with managing this challenge, About Me International has created the About Me Card. This practical tool is designed to reveal each employee’s inner drive and preferred communication practices—two elements that according to Kiedinger are essential to their fulfillment and effectiveness at work.

Kiedinger says employers can use this tool to minimize if not eliminate misunderstandings and mistreatment, which often are a source of employee stress and can quickly lead to negative emotion and negative energy.

“The danger for employers is that negative energy, if left unchecked and allowed to spread, can have a debilitating impact on an organization’s creativity, innovation and productivity and ultimately impact its bottom line,” Kiedinger says. “Employees can use information from the About Me Card to effectively manage workplace interactions and relationships by literally changing negative emotion to positive energy,”

Kiedinger says that two of the main challenges for employers are to determine whether they wish to invest in solving employee stress and, if they do, how to go about it.

“In recent years, wellness programs have emerged as a way to help employees better manage their health,” Kiedinger says. “However, when it comes to the effectiveness of wellness programs in identifying, managing and overcoming employee stress as well as negative emotion and energy, there is no conclusive data that shows that these programs have a significant, positive and lasting impact on this workplace challenge.”

Richard DuBois, director of business development at About Me International, says the company is experiencing a strong response to the About Me Card.

“We are consistently hearing from employers of all kinds that they have seen enough of the destructiveness of negative emotion and want to address it,” DuBois says. “This tool gives them a practical solution that is generating proven results with organizations including small businesses and mid-size to large corporations, as well as non-profits including schools and health care facilities.”

About Me International has created a white paper, “Wellness and the workforce—are we missing the boat when it comes to managing employee stress?” which provides insights to employers on overcoming negative emotion and energy resulting from unresolved employee stress. The white paper can be downloaded at www.aboutmecard.com/whitepaper

About Me International provides assistance and training to employers with determining their employees’ inner drive and preferred communication practices to support employee engagement and leadership effectiveness. More information is available atwww.aboutmecard.com

Hendren Group is a financial management and investment company dealing with investment methods and strategies. Based in Tokyo boasting a large base of private clients and a well skilled team of advisors, they conduct research and then subsequently develop short and long-term systematic approaches to achieving optimum returns on investments for themselves, their associates and for their current client base.

Japanese carmakers, Nissan, are set to introduce a range of cheaper cars under the umbrella of their Datsun brand, exploiting a gap in India’s expanding automobile market. The first car to be put on sale is a reasonably priced hatchback, retailing at $6’700, and later models are expected to be sold for as little as $4000, making it a financially viable option for many Indian car buyers.

Nissan is not the first global automaker to realize the potential for profit through producing a low cost car aimed at the Indian market, with chief engineers at Toyota Motor Corp. putting forward designs for exactly this purpose, but such proposals have so far been rejected for fear of a low cost car tarnishing the company’s name. Nissan have overcome this potential problem by producing this range of cars under the Datsun brand name, thus distancing themselves from the less luxurious vehicles.

Set to coincide with the introduction of this new line of cars, Nissan also has other plans to expand its presence in India by increasing the number of dealers from the current 100 outlets up to 300 outlines by 2017. By that time, Nissan expects to be generating between 35 and 50 percent of their in country revenue through their Datsun line. A senior analyst at Hendren Group predicts that a conservative estimate would then give Nissan a 10% market share of the Indian passenger vehicle market which, in 2013, bought more than 2.7 million vehicles.

“At the moment there is a gap in the Indian automobile market which is not being properly filled with good quality, cost effective cars, Nissan have found a way to exploit this growing need and are in the position to fill this demand, soon we will see the other big manufacturers following suit in a bid to catch up,” said David Holmes Senior Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions at the Hendren Group.

Nissan’s plans for the Datsun do not begin and end with India, but will gradually be introduced worldwide, starting with Indonesia and Russia and then later in Africa, South East Asia, Middle East and Latin America. This push into emerging markets is a vital part of the company’s mid-term plan, Nissan Power 88, named to emphasize its aim to achieve a global market share of 8% and increase its corporate operating profit to a sustainable 8%.

The Hendren Groups Senior Vice President David Holmes concluded saying, “As the market and demand for cheaper well made vehicles expands within the emerging market place so do the opportunities for investors wishing to take advantage, we are moving our investors into positions within this sector so they can avail of this very lucrative opportunity, Nissan’s goal of achieving an 8% global market share is certainly achievable, thanks largely to the speed in which the company have managed to respond to the growing need for low cost vehicles.”

Hendren Group is set to continue to advise clients to acquire shares within the Asian markets adding to successful diversified portfolios.

M-CAT Enterprises (M-CAT) today announced CEO and global security expert Anyck Turgeon has been recognized in the 2013 Anti-Fraud Resource Guide (second edition). The guide is published quarterly by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE), the world’s largest organization of anti-fraud professionals. Selected amongst 65,000 active members, Turgeon is an Austin-based Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). She has successfully fought white collar crime, globally, with tech innovation for more than 25 years.

TURGEON’S LIFETIME FIGHT AGAINST WHITE COLLAR CRIME:

From an early start in her career, beginning at the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), Turgeon has upheld technology in the arrest of white collar criminals. It was there she discovered and worked on the largest securities fraud in Canada ‘s history, the Connacher’s Bay Street $1B “bought deals.” The scheme, orchestrated by Gordon Capital Corp. CEO James Connacher, required securities dealers to pay companies in advance for public issues.

Connacher’s mid-size investment firm became one of the heaviest financial hitters, involved in nearly every major takeover deal. Gordon Capital wooed the institutional market by accounting for 15%-70% of daily trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange and setting trading records on the American Stock Exchange. As a result of over-extending its financial position and undercapitalizing loans against massive amounts of securities, Connacher was fined, trading activities were ceased and the firm was brought down to its official disappearance in 1998. Turgeon’s technological expertise led to simultaneous engagements in fraud prevention, detection and resolution at the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), Thompson Corporation (TC) and Toronto Dominion Bank/Visa Center.

Turgeon credits her success to learning from the following “best leaders” on how to deter fraud and apply technologies towards prevention: George Olah (OSC), James Bailey (TSX), Joseph Oliver (OSC now Honorable Canadian Minister of Natural Resources), Gil Rémillard (former Quebec Minister of International Relations), Marc Pearl (TC), Bradley Foster (TC) and Kenneth Thomson, owner of Thomson Corporation and founder of the famous law and anti-fraud solutions WESTLAW now sold under Thomson Reuters. Inspired by their guidance, Turgeon turned her focus and career towards gaining mastery of innovative technologies.

Throughout her tech years in the United States – especially in the Silicon Valley and Silicon Hills –Turgeon has continued to improve her technological expertise to successfully help numerous victims recover from a variety of embezzlement and financial misconduct cases. CEO Eddy Coenye and elderly couple CEO Jerry Claar and his wife Roe, for example, were assisted in stopping embezzlers, recovering stolen assets and gaining punitive damages – thanks to Turgeon’s tech innovation and mastery.

Already uniquely qualified as a data management and data warehousing expert, as well as a certified fraud examiner, Turgeon is the first certified female data scientist, crowned last month. Combining her latest expertise and premier executive management training from Harvard University and McCombs School of Business / University of Texas and ongoing SANS training in digital forensics, Turgeon is taking the battle to the front line to change the fight against white collar crime with tech innovation.

“Learning one in three decision makers currently do not feel comfortable with the completeness and validity of the data they use is understandable,” says Turgeon. “The gap, unfortunately, expands for fraud fighters, prosecutors and victims,” she confirms.

As an Inmon-certified data scientist—the most sought after experts worldwide—Turgeon can leverage structured data, big data and other unstructured raw content with textual disambiguation to achieve higher analytical velocity and accuracy.

“By accessing and parsing through up to 80 percent of unutilized corporate data, M-CAT Enterprises can anticipate, identify and eliminate fraudulent activity and security breaches across the enterprise pro-actively as well as help victims secure recovery with much more compelling evidence,” explains Turgeon.

Now at the forefront of shaping the anti-fraud solutions for the twenty-first century, Turgeon and her firm M-CAT Solutions can deliver cutting edge solutions for:

During a time when other companies are laying off and retrenching, South Jersey based eMaint Enterprises, a technology leader in delivering cloud based CMMS software and services, today announced significant revenue and staff growth over the past three years.

Revenues at eMaint grew 45 percent in 2012 over previous year, and a cumulative 167 percent since 2010. “Our customers, which run the gamut from family run farms to multinational corporations, are experiencing economic challenges just like everyone else,” said eMaint CEO Brian Samelson. “That means, more than ever, they need partners that save them time and money. eMaint has proven it can do that, and customers have rewarded us with their business and referrals.”

To support this explosive revenue growth, the company has kept pace by aggressively growing the size of staff, which has increased threefold in the past three years. In 2013 alone eMaint has hired 15 new employees, the majority of whom are recent college graduates. There are many good reasons to have a constant flow of new college graduates joining the company. “We are always looking for employees that have a high energy level, bring new ideas to the table, and are open to a culture of rapid change as our business continually adapts to meet the needs of our customers.” said Jon Hollander, eMaint’s Executive Vice President of Operations.

eMaint’s flagship product is X3, a cloud based Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). X3 is supported by a full range of services – from implementation to training in advanced applications such as predictive maintenance and integration with third party applications to work order management and tracking. Its “Software as a Service” (SaaS) model emphasizes a high degree of configuration and flexible pricing models geared to the needs of all business sizes. Support for mobile devices has made the application even more accessible to a workforce of technicians who are no longer required to be in an office or at a computer to access the system. Its customer base now surpasses 18,000 users from approximately 3,500 customer sites. eMaint also enjoys a high customer retention rate of 96%.

In 2012, eMaint was named South Jersey’s fifth fastest growing private company by the Philadelphia Business Journal, received the BOSS (Best of SaaS Software) award from THINK strategies and was included in the “Philly 100” honor roll of fastest growing privately held companies by the Entrepreneurs’ Forum of Greater Philadelphia.

“It’s not often for a company that’s been around as long as we have to see the level of growth over the past few years that we have experienced,” said Samelson, who founded eMaint. “Our key to success is simple: We listen and respond to customer needs. When we say, ‘your success is our mission,’ it’s not just a slogan.”

The UK’s leading designer and retailer of quality wellington boots, Hunter, has announced the appointment of a new Creative Director, and also, a new Commercial Sales Director

Hunter Boot Ltd. today announces the appointment of Alasdhair Willis, as its Creative Director, and Fabrizio Stroppa, as its Commercial Sales Director. Based in London, both roles will report into the CEO, James Seuss, who was appointed in December 2012.

A spokesperson for Hunter Boot explains, “Alasdhair Willis brings amazing creative talent, style, and commercial realisation to the helm of Hunter. His experience with British heritage brands and developing brands globally makes him an ideal choice to lead the creative team at Hunter as we enter our next stage of growth. Alasdhair will define the vision for the brand and develop our creative voice, while working closely with our strong commercial team to bring the world of Hunter to consumers worldwide,” James Seuss commented.

Alasdhair Willis said: “It is a genuine honour and a tremendous opportunity to be in this role at such a significant moment for Hunter. Hunter is a fantastic British brand with enormous potential. It has a very strong history dating back nearly 160 years, and I believe the Hunter story and spirit are just as relevant today. The business has already built a strong foundation for growth with its current product offering, centred on theOriginal Boot. Going forward, we will be focused on expanding the footwear business while building on the exciting opportunities in other categories such as outerwear. We will also be clearly defining the brand’s position in the market and communicating our unique vision across all platforms. I look forward to working with the growing and talented design team.”

Jim Seuss remarked, “I am also pleased to welcome Fabrizio Stroppa to Hunter as Commercial Sales Director. With over 25 years of experience working with luxury brands, including Mulberry, Giorgio Armani and Donna Karan, Fabrizio brings an incredible wealth of expertise in the luxury goods sector. He will be integral to the further development of Hunter’s international presence.”

Fabrizio Stroppa commented, “I am delighted to be joining Hunter at such a unique stage in its development. With James’ strategic and commercial leadership and the new creative direction, Hunter now has the dynamic team needed to create a global brand. As we develop and open new markets, we will be working with some of the best retailers in the world to showcase the Company’s collections. Hunter also plans to launch branded shop-in-shops in key markets and flagship stores in key cities worldwide.”

The first new collection for the brand will be showcased for Autumn/Winter 2014. Willis will also maintain his role at his Creative and Branding consultancy firm.

Manchester based Citation has appointed Chris Morris to be its new Chief Executive Officer.

The appointment follows the recent purchase of Citation by ECI Partners. Chris Morris will join

Citation on 18th March from LateRooms.com where he is currently Managing Director.

Chris Morris joined LateRooms.com as Finance Director in 2005 and was then quickly promoted to the role of Managing Director. Chris was integral to LateRooms.com becoming a successful part of TUI Travel PLC. He subsequently led the expansion of the LateRooms.com brand and has been responsible for the expansion of the B2C Division through the acquisition of sister brands AsiaRooms.com and MalaPronta.com (in Brazil).

Citation chairman, Andrew Vaughan, commented “The board are delighted that we have been able to secure Chris Morris as CEO. Chris has done an incredible job at building the LateRooms.com brand over the years and is a well respected professional. The board are looking forward to working with Chris and his contribution to Citation’s future.”

Speaking about his appointment Chris said “It is an exciting time to be joining Citation as CEO. I am confident we can take Citation to the next level for both client acquisition and customer service. Citation has remained resilient during tough market conditions and is perfectly positioned for future growth. I can’t wait to get started!”

On January 22nd, HirePurpose and the Wounded Warrior Project are co-hosting a special event, The Military Talent Pool: Hiring, Managing, & Retaining Another Great Generation to help local and national companies improve military hiring practices. The event will be held from 5-7pm at the New York Athletic Club on 180 Central Park South.

Last year, unemployment among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans trailed the national average by almost 4 percentage points. Though many companies recognize the benefits of hiring veterans, few have the expertise and knowledge needed to attract, evaluate, and retain members of this extraordinary talent pool.

“This is a great opportunity to introduce New York City employers to a variety of methods to hiring veterans,” says Zach Iscol, Founder and CEO of HirePurpose. “Employers can learn why hiring these exceptional young men and women can be incredibly beneficial to their businesses and we are very excited to have partnered with Four Block and the Wounded Warrior Project.”

More than 80 companies, including Wal-mart, Goldman Sachs, Viacom, Delta, Etsy, Securitas, The Ladders, and others from a wide range of industries will be in attendance to learn best practices from leading experts in the veteran employment space. Employers will also hear from a group of recent military veterans and college graduates about the challenges they’ve faced and the types of industries they are interested in.

“Wounded Warriors come to the table with an extraordinary set of soft skills that employers crave,” says Lisa Stern, Economic Empowerment Executive Vice President at the Wounded Warrior Project. “Veterans are loyal, work well independently and as part of a team, are creative, and are mission-focused.”

Linda Cawley, a specialist of the Warriors to Work program for the Wounded Warrior Project, and Mike Abrams, Co-Founder of Four Block Diversity Leadership, a service that provides student veterans with professional development and connects them with internship opportunities at corporations, will lead a panel discussion titled, Hiring, Managing, and Retaining Veterans.

There is a new officially approved professional title for real estate practitioners — Realter. This word will soon find its way as new entry in the dictionary, and it will read as follows:

REALTER. Definition: [A patented service mark. Pronunciation: \\rē(-ə)l-tər, rē-al-tər\\.Abbreviation: Rltr.. Plural: Realters. Verb intransitive: Realteer. Verb present participle: Realteering. Verb past participle: Realteered]. Referring to real estate service practitioners who are registered in Realter Society and given extension of license by its patent owner. Realter and its abbreviation Rltr are exclusively used as professional titles before the names of members of Realter Society worldwide.

After 14 months of due diligence by experts in the Intellectual Property Office Philippines (IPOPHIL), the RLTR REALTER SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL 2011, its website REALTERSOCIETY.ORG, its service mark (logo), and manner of use were finally approved on 28 September 2012; and awarded with Trademark Registration No. 42011990441.

Real estate practitioners anywhere around the world, regardless of nationality, who want to use this prestigious Realter (Rltr) professional title may individually apply for extension of patent license by registering in Realter Society. The innovator defines the term professional practitioner as a service provider who does it for a living (for a fee).

Realter Society members get the following rights: (1) the right to use the patented Realter and Rltr professional titles and logo, (2) the right to enjoy the award policy of Realter Society, and (3) the right to wear exclusive insignia products of Realter Society.

A person with a Rltr title before his/her name need not explain too much that he/she is in the real estate sector. The Rltr title bearer enjoys the automatic public perception that he/she is a real estate service practitioner.

Rltr title operates like a powerful slogan; it is short, easily said, catchy, and has quick recall factor. Since it is a new title, having it in your business card would trigger curiosity, then it becomes a conversation starter which can possibly propagate to customer inquiries that may open up a wide door of business opportunities for the Rltr® title-bearer.

Realter Society is designed solely as REGISTRY of the Rltr® title users. Realter Society does NOT offer real estate products (such as house, lots, condo units, burial lots, etc.) nor services (such as agency, appraisal, build consultancy, etc.). Realter Society has no intention to compete with the respective businesses and organizations of its individual members.

The individual membership registration fee in Realter Society is P2.00 per day, prorated from the day the person registers up to the general renewal date of 28 September 2022. Incumbent Assessors of Local Government Units and Regional Directors of Registry of Deeds are exempted from the membership fee.

The innovator of this new professional title is Rltr. John R. Petalcorin, born in Maramag Bukidnon PH in 1973, a product of the College of Economics and Management of the University of the Philippines at Los Banos, and a licensed real estate broker since 1998 specialized in pro bono consumer rights advocacy and peer coaching.